Automatic train pipe connecter



' u 8, 1931. J. ROBINSON 1,319,337

AUTOMATIC TRAIN PIPE CONNECTER Original Filed April 1'. 1921 \NVENTQE BY t (Luv, mm/Emm A-rrorau an:

Patented Aug. 18, 1931 i Josnrrrsnonrnson, or NEW YOBKQVNP Y. i

V m oivrlrie ifnninrrrn comment My invention rel'ates'to improvements in automat c tram p pe connecters, and particularly tothe provisionof an improved interf'change device for coupling aycarequipped with the automatic connecter into interchange communication with a car notiso equipped. Another object is to provide an interchange v device for this purpose by which the gaskets between the faces of mated connecter heads may'beremoved while the heads remain eon pled. In'freight serviceespecially it is'very desirable that the automatic connecter be equipped with meansfor eifectingimmediate connection to a car not equipped therewith. Heretofore this means has usually beenconjstructed separately of the connecter andcarried at some point on the car far removed from the connecter, necessitating that'th'e Jtrainmen spend'coh siderable time procuring 20 the device before connection canbe made from "a car equipped with the connecter to one not so. It'isalso essential that the automatic con- ,necter, especially in freight servicefshall be capable of ready inspection and maintenance particularlyas respects the gasketsby'which the joint is formed. To s'eparateth'e cars in order to get at the gaskets betweenthe faces of the mated connecter'heads is bothexpensive and objectionablyslow "The present application is a substitute for applicants prior abandoned application Serial No. 460,436, filed April 1, 1921.

My invention resides in, and I attain the foregoing objects, by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of an'automatic connecter head provided with my improvement;

Figure 2 is a sectional plan view thereof. In this view the rear end of the shank B is shown in elevation;

Figure 3 is a plan view showing my improved interchange device connected with a standard form of hand operated hose coupling carried in the hose of an unequipped car;

Figure 4 is a sectional detail of Figure 2 This application filed December the head C of my improved interchange in its bearing in the heel member D; Y

F igure5 is a sectional plan view showing 'aniodificat'ion of my improvement; and

Figure 6-is a face view ofthe coupling E shown in Figure 5.

Referring now to the drawings: I provide any suitableiformofcoupling head Awith a centrally located opening spanned by the walls 7 and 80f the shank or body member B as shown particularly in Figure 1, the body member beingcast integral with the head or otherwise connected thereto as desired. Projecting through the opening in-the head and positioned between walls 7'and 8 of the'me1n ber B I mountmy interchange and gasket renewing device, and removably maintain it in such position by a pin, or other suitable looking device 9 adapted to be inserted downwardlyin' the walls 7 and 8 and into the seat 10 ofthe. rear face ofmy'improved interchange device, to securely lock the same in position. The pin 9 is, of course, adapted to "be readily removed when it is desired to extract my improved interchange from the "opening in-the coupling head A, -=A head member or part G rotatably" mounted in a shankor heel member D, comprises'my im- 'proved interchange andgasket 'renewing device, The headC carries any desired form of gasket 11 adaptedf'normallyto rest in the plane of the coupling'face of the headA, and 'is provided with atoe or-lip-12 adapted'to mate with the heel 13 ofthe. well known standard hand operated hose coupling 14,

I able ring, or other device, 15 which is adapted f to expandinto' a circumferential groove 16 formed in part in the-headmember as {shown atespecially Figure 2. Y if gAs aforesaid,t he head'member C is rotat- Lably mounted in the heel member 19, 3; gasket TI-being inserted betweenthe head member "and the' bottom of the] opening in i the heel {member to "seal the joint 'therebetweeni I The gasket 'isfpr'ovided with an interior annular groove 18 adapted-to admit the fluid thereto whereby the gasket 17 is expanded into tight engagement with its seats 19 and 20 on the head member and on the heel respectively. A heel or overhanging projection 21 extends from the body of the heel member D and is preferably formed integral therewith, but may, of course, be, otherwise secured thereto, or to the head member C if desired, as indicated, for instance, in Figure 5. A rearwardly extending shank 22 constitutes a part of the heel member D and serves to receive the usual train pipe hose 23.

-When it is desired to make interchange between a car equipped with an automatic connecter having my improvement, and a car not equipped therewith, the pin 9 is extracted and my improvement is removed from the coupling head A, whereupon the head member G is rotated approximately 180 to bring its coupling face 124i adjacent the coupling face 25 of the heel member D,

and is then coupled into the standard hand operated hose coupling 14, in the hose 26 0f the unequipped car, as clearly shown in Figure 3. Such rotation of the member C is necessitated by the fact that When mounted in .ward the car on which it is mounted, or at least, faces transversely of the longitudinal axis of .th sear, Therefore, in order to get the coupling face in posit-ion to abut against the face of the ordinary hand hose coupling,

it is necessary to rotate the same into substantially the position shown in :Figure 3.

Tore-mount my improvement in the coupling w head A it is but necessary to retrace this operwhereupon the gasket may be inspected and f I replaced :by retracing this operation. The gasket 17 asremoved, incase renewal is neceswith the standard coupling 14Figure 3in the hose 26 of the unequipped car, the head E being rotatably mounted with respect to the hose 23, the union or swivel joint shown in Figure 2 being employed to permit of this operation, as illustrated.

Detailed variations or refinements may, of course, be made in my improvement without departing from the scope of my invention and I therefore desire not to be limited to the particular construction disclosed.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patentisii 1. A coupling device adapted to connect the hose on a railway car to an automatic .eonn c head on said car or to a hose provided with a conventional typeof railway hand hose coupling, said device com rising a tubular member secured to the en hose,'a second tubular member'arranged in line with and rotatably connected to said'first member, said second member having a flat face thereon surrounding the open end of the bore therein, said facev being'arranged ob of Said liquely to the axis of rotation of said second tubular member,

2. coupling device adapted to connect thehose on a railway car to an automatic connecter head .on said caror to a hose prohand hose coupling, said .device comprising tubular member securedto the end of said hose, a second tubular member arranged in line with and rotatablyconnected to said first.

T .vided with a conventional type of railway" member, the bore in said second tubular memher being curved laterally at the outer end thereof, said second member having a fiat face thereon surrounding; the outer ,end of said, bore, Said iace being arranged obliquely, the iax isof r tat on of said s nd m mber. v p

In test mony; wh re I here to a fi my signature.

J .OSE-PH RQBINSQN.

.sary, by gripping the ends 27 0f the ring 15 In likemanner, with-the necessary variations,

. these parts are reassembled..

1 In Figures '5 andt :Ilhave shown a anodification of my improvement in which the heel device21, shown in Figures 2 and 3, is pivotally mounted on {the head member as at 28.

ith this form .of device interchange is effectedby extractingthe pin 9 and removing :the interchange from {the connector head whereupon'ithe pivoted heel 29 is rotated ,for-

ward :as indicated by dotted lines in Fignre :5. {Elle head Eis then rotated one half turn to hring iitinto. position be coupled 

